It’s tough to develop new products when demand is so high that you can’t keep up with the current order rate. That’s the situation LCS Air Arms have been in since the beginning of their company.
But that’s not stopped them from slowly expanding the range of selective-fire SK-19 airguns. Following the initial .22 and .25 caliber models, they also introduced variants with attractive anodized highlights. Yes, that’s cosmetic, but – trust me – it still takes development time and effort to implement correctly.
And now there’s the .30 caliber version of the SK-19.
That increase in caliber makes a huge difference to the power. The SK-19 .30 caliber is actually about twice as powerful as the .22 cal model – on a shot-to-shot basis. We’re talking of a difference between 40 Ft/Lbs for the .22’s Muzzle Energy to 80 Ft/Lbs for the thirty cal.
This step up even from .25 cal. to .30 caliber requires the gun to handle a much larger volume of air per shot to create that additional power.
So the engineering skill and effort involved in this recent development should not be underestimated! It’s compounded by the full-auto capability of the gun. Full auto fire in .30 caliber requires the internals to handle a huge amount of High Pressure Air in a very short space of time.
The SK-19’s designers must have to have invested a significant amount of CAD design, testing and manufacturing programming time. And then more testing. Ever more testing…
You know they did this because it works!
In fact, the .30 caliber version of the SK-19 works faultlessly, just like the smaller calibers. That’s a big achievement for this relatively new company. We should not just take it for granted.
Although the .30 caliber version looks similar to the .22 and .25 caliber models, it actually features a longer barrel and longer bipod mount rail. That’s apart from the internal modifications, of course.
Let’s be clear, the SK-19 is not a cheap air rifle. The price is $2,199 for the .30 cal model. Then you need a quality scope and rings. Plus a robust HPA supply system (think heavy-duty HPA compressor plus large HPA tank). Then factor-in plenty of .30 caliber pellets at 10 – 12 cents each (you’ll be needing them). Plus, most owners will add accessories like a bipod and possibly an air capacity upgrade.
So yes, this is an expensive air rifle to own. It’s also particularly expensive to run in .30 caliber due to the ammo cost. But the performance is unmatched. And the best is (almost) always expensive…
The SK-19 .30 caliber sample I tested gave a Muzzle Velocity of 898 FPS with 44.75 Grain JSB Exact pellets. That represents 80 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy – per shot.
The heavier, 50.15 Grain JSBs produced an average of 863 FPS – that’s 83 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy.
Accuracy was exceptional, too. Shot at 20 Yards with 44.75 Grain JSB Exacts, this target gave a genuine “one hole” group for 10 shots.
Out at 50 Yards, I couldn’t resist setting the “fun switch” to full auto using the same pellets. The group was just 3-Inches high and 1.25-Inches wide. for all 17 shots from the full magazine.
It’s clear that the SK-19 .30 caliber can really shoot – even on full auto!
In full auto mode, a quick “dab” of the trigger provides a “2-shot burst” capability. This is easy to do and is quite predictable. The main requirement is to completely release the trigger between “dabs” so that the action will re-set before firing again.
Holding the trigger back in full-automatic mode empties the magazine in less than 3 seconds. It REALLY brings the smile to your face!
All SK-19s are fitted with two safeties. One is located above the trigger on the left side of the gun. The other is part of the fire control selector at the rear.
But there is also an unannounced third “safety” that can be deployed for complete “belt and braces” security.
If you swing out the magazine locking lever – as in the photograph above – this prevents the magazine from indexing. The result is that no pellet can be placed in battery in the gun. If you pull the trigger with the locking lever out, all you will get is the sound of escaping High Pressure Air…
Thanks to Lauren Parsons for this tid-bit of information!
My .30 caliber test gun featured the standard 480cc tank, yet it still delivered 55 consistent shots before reaching the regulator set point.
There’s a larger, 580cc tank option that can be specified with the SK-19. The result – of course – will be a higher shot count.
Given the 17-shot magazine capacity in .30 caliber, it would make practical sense to re-fill with a full charge of of High Pressure Air after three full magazines of shooting (51 shots).
Of course, the SK-19 is all about shooting! Loading? Well that’s something you just have to do…
It’s steady, plodding work to rotate the magazine, then load three pellets – in the .30 caliber version – before deliberately rotating the magazine again to show another three empty chambers. Repeat…
The new longer, lower Picatinny rail that’s fitted to the SK-19 .30 caliber is beneficial. It allows a wider range of positions for attaching the bipod that will very likely be supporting the LCS when it’s fired on the range.
As mentioned above, the gun can be ordered with a 580 cc bottle, instead of the 480cc tank used for this test. In addition, there are double bottle adapters available – although then you are talking of a considerable increase in weight, along with the huge increase in shot count. Don’t forget to order that bipod!
There’s not a huge range of ammunition available for .30 caliber airguns. Mainly, it comes from JSB – under one name or another – while NSA also has some .30 caliber slugs.
But there is one type of pellet that will not fit the SK-19 .30 caliber – that’s Predator Polymags.
Even though the difference between the magazine depth and maximum Polymag pellet length was just 0.15mm (or about 6 Thou, if you prefer), it’s just too much. The gun will not accept them. All the conventional pellets fitted without any issues whatsoever.
But that Polymag issue is the only real problem I found with the .30 caliber version of the SK-19.
The selective fire capability compared with the quality, reliability, power and accuracy means that there’s nothing in the market that can compare with the SK-19!
That’s why so many avid airgunners have been happy to wait in line to receive their SK-19…
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